The purpose of the San Diego Food System Alliance is to develop and maintain an equitable, healthy and sustainable food system for the benefit of all people in San Diego County.

Why the Alliance Exists

"Starting more than 30 years ago, some academic experts and food activists began to see that the food system was touching more and more parts of our lives. Environmental issues, public health, issues of social and economic justice, and other concerns were all tied up with this mammoth system, one with huge economic importance. The production of agricultural goods added $331 billion to the U.S. economy in 2009, and hundreds of billions more came from processing, distributing and marketing those products.

The other side of the economic coin is the cost to treat the health issues that arise when people don’t eat well. In 2012, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that by 2030 obesity rates in the United States are expected to jump to 42 percent, from today’s 34 percent. With the rise in obesity comes a staggering price to treat obesity-related illnesses: an estimated $550 billion each year.

Food experts and activists realized that a vast food system generated many policies, and for the most part, the average citizen didn’t have much of a role in shaping them. One way to address this lack of participation was by creating food policy councils or alliances, to bring together all stakeholders in a community food system and give them a say in constructing a system that reflected their values."